


Progress and Failure

by Punable



Category: Yu-Gi-Oh!
Genre: Angsty Yugi, Bakura and Ryou are bros, Bakura's name is Kura, Blindshipping, Bullied Yugi, Child Abuse, Depressed Yugi, Fluff, Fluff and Angst, I Blame Tumblr, I can only write angst, I don't know, I'm Sorry, I'm gonna make these babies suffer, It's darker than you think, Joey is an ass, M/M, Over-protective Yami, Puzzleshipping, Sad Yugi, Slightly depressed Yugi?, Socially Awkward Yugi, Tea is a good friend, Twins actually, Yami and Atem are the same person, Yami is a bab, Yami is clueless and precious, Yaoi, Yes he can be both, Yugi looks different, Yugi's a nerd who works too hard, Yugi-centric, let's just say, mentions of child abuse, mwahahaha, my child, very different, well technically, whatever floats your boat, yu-gi-oh AU
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2016-09-01
Updated: 2016-11-05
Packaged: 2018-08-12 10:28:01
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 2
Words: 2,641
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/7931188
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Punable/pseuds/Punable
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Yugi Motou, a twenty-year-old singer/writer is trying VERY hard to support himself and his friend's dreams.<br/>He doesn't need a knight in shining armour, honest.</p><p>So why does one show up?</p><p>In which Yugi is socially anxious, Yami is a smol bean, and Tea is just worried.</p><p>"Accidently creating the cannon" AU<br/>"Internet Friends" AU</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Responsable

**Author's Note:**

> Just a note, YUGI LOOKS VERY DIFFERENT IN THIS AU AND MANY CHARACTERS WILL BE SLIGHTLY OOC. And I don't own Yu-Gi-Oh, so please no suing today.

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> In which Yugi is very awkward.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> WHOO! New story! Yes, I know, I've already got one on the go, but, y'know, that one's not very good, is it? Anyway, I hope you enjoy. I DO NOT OWN YU-GI-OH. DON'T SUE ME.

_text_ = flashback

FriendshipGoals has come online.  
FriendshipGoals: Hey Yugi!  
TheLightMagician: Oh. Hey Tea  
FriendshipGoals: I’m just here to remind you to pick up some washing you left at mine ;)  
TheLightMagician: Oh thanks ^_^  
FriendshipGoals: No problem Yugi, it’s the least I could do :D Dreams don’t pay for themselves, right? :]

Yugi Motou smiled at the screen. Tea was a good friend, since he didn’t have a washing machine and used to have to wash all of his clothes by hand. That was especially tedious and annoying when his grandpa was still there, since that was two loads of clothes to wash.  
Not that Yugi had minded his grandpa living with him.

FriendshipGoals: So, what are you up to?  
TheLightMagician: Oh, I’m still working on this story I’ve got knocking around in my head. It’s about Egyptian prophecies and ancient magic ^U^’  
FriendshipGoals: Haha, wow. I really want to read that when you’re done ;D  
TheLightMagician: We’ll see ^_-‘  
FriendshipGoals: Oh Yugi, I’ve got to go. Don’t forget to come round and pick up that washing :)  
TheLightMagician: Ok Tea. Will you be free later?  
FriendshipGoals: Probably. You can hang if you want…you don’t have to though. No pressure  
TheLightMagician: No worries  
FriendshipGoals: Bye Yugi XD  
TheLightMagician: Bye  
FriendshipGoals has gone offline. 

Yugi sighed and put down his phone, placing on the cold wooden desk that he was sitting by. Yugi adored his best friend, he really did, but sometimes, spending a lot of time with her could be…overwhelming. Spending large amounts of time with ANYONE could be overwhelming, especially when they were as enthusiastic as Tea.  
Yugi loved people, he just didn’t love being around them. And Tea knew this; it was why she had been so reluctant to invite Yugi around. She had known that he wouldn’t be eager.  
And yet, Yugi couldn’t help but feel like he had been pushing away the only friend in his life.

~~~

Yugi had never been popular. He was short, so short that people still mistook him for a high school junior at 20 years old. Although, when he was younger, he had been shorter than children 4 years younger than him. His massive eyes and soft features had made him look incredibly gentle and rather adorable, although Yugi never liked being called it. Yes, Yugi had been, in all aspects, the most non-threatening teen anyone could ever hope to see.

And that had made him a perfect target for bullies.

_“Hey, fag! Why don’t you go play out the back with the rest of the garbage? I’m sure that those dumpsters would only be too happy to see you again.” The blonde-haired tormentor leant close to Yugi’s ear. “I guess it would be the only one, huh faggot?”_  
_Yugi frowned but said nothing. The remarks were nothing he hadn’t already heard before._  
_“Back off Joey.”_  
_Joey smirked, humour building in his eyes._  
_“Ooo, so the little freak does have a voice box! I never knew!”_  
_Yugi sighed and began to walk away. He really couldn’t put up with Joey’s shit today.  
_ _“Hey! Midget! Don’t just walk away from me!”_

_Yugi felt a sharp tug. Yugi’s eyes moved slowly to see a hand grabbing a large portion of his long, thick blonde hair._  
_“Ya know, I always thought this would look betta’ shorta’, huh freak?”_  
_Yugi saw a bright glint as a knife was protruded from Joey’s pocket, an evil glint in the bully’s eyes. Yugi flinched as the knife was brought back and –_  
_“STOP!”  
_ _Yugi suddenly felt the sharp pain in his scalp cease as he fell forward into the dirt._

_“WHAT IN THE NAME OF GOD DO YOU THINK YOU WERE DOING?!”_  
_Yugi moved his head to see…Tea Gardener. She was in same year as Yugi, but in a different group, so he didn’t see her very often. However, he and all the other boys in the entire school had heard about how scary she was when she was mad. And sweet flippidy Jesus, was she mad._  
_“YOU FUCKING IDIOT! YOU LITERALLY JUST BRANDISHED A KNIFE AT HIM! YOU COULD HAVE FUCKING KILLED HIM WITH THAT! WHAT FUCKING POSSESSED YOU TO BRING A FUCKING KNIFE INTO THIS?!”_  
_Yugi smiled slightly at Joey’s terrified face. “I-I…uh…well…”  
_ _“THAT’S RIGHT! YOU DON’T HAVE ONE FUCKING REASON TO EVER BRING OUT A KNIFE UNLESS IT’S TO CUT OUT YOUR BRAIN SINCE YOU’RE OBVIOUSLY NOT USING IT! Now scuttle off like the beetle you are!”_

_Joey ran off with a terrified look on his twisted face. Tea walked up to Yugi and extended a hand._  
_“Hey. You alright?”_  
_Yugi nervously took it, an embarrassed look on his face._  
_“Y-yeah. I’m fine.”_  
_“Yugi Motou, right? I’ve heard about your great skills when it comes to games!”_  
_Yugi blushed slightly. “W-well, I do l-live in a games shop.”_  
_“Wait, that…tortoise one?”_  
_“The Turtle Games Shop, y-yeah.”_  
_“That’s really cool!” Tea smiled at Yugi. “I pass it on the way to school! I thought an old man lived there though…”_  
_“O-oh! That’s my grandpa! He own the shop and works in it on weekdays!”_  
_“He keeps looking at my boobs every time I pass by.”  
_ _“Yes…um…he’s not exactly polite.”_

_Tea laughed loudly, and although there was no one else around, Yugi couldn’t help but feel nervous and relived at the same time._

~~~

Yugi grabbed his coat and dark glasses and walked out into the snow. It had been a heavy winter in Domino, and many people didn’t have to or couldn’t work in the thick snow that had been closing up the roads.  
Not Yugi though. He still had to pay bills, especially while supporting Tea’s dancing carrier. Tea herself didn’t get paid enough to afford to continue her dream, and that’s where Yugi came in. He didn’t mind though. Really.  
Isn’t that just what friends do?

The door to the studio swung open as Yugi entered.  
“Hey Ryou.”  
“Hello Yugi!” The white haired boy grinned.  
Ok, maybe it wasn’t entirely true that Tea was Yugi’s only friend. Ryou, known as Bakura to most people, was someone Yugi had known for quite a while. They didn’t talk much, but they worked together a lot in the workplace.

Which is what they were doing that day.

“Claire wants us on backing today. I think you might be recording by yourself later on though. The schedule was a bit of a mess today.” Ryou said, taking a bite out of the sandwich in his hand.  
“Ok. Do you know what we’re doing?”  
“I think it’s another video.” Ryou chuckled. “You know us famous singers, always helping out as backing dancers!”

Yugi laughed quietly. The truth was that Yugi and Ryou were, indeed, singers in the industry. They were far from popular, and were mainly only chosen to look and sound good on camera, but the pay was great and honestly, who wouldn’t just JUMP at the chance to be famous. Yugi must have been VERY lucky when he got offered the job.

At least, that’s what Yugi kept telling himself. That’s what other people told him. Because what more could he ask for? He was just selfish if he even thought for a second that something in his life wasn’t perfect.

Yes, what more could he ask for?  
Yugi walked off into the studio with Ryou at his side.

Nothing. He couldn’t ask for anything more.


	2. Smart Move, Sherlock

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> In which Yugi goes to Starbucks and gets cuddled by a cat.

It had been a long day, and it was only lunchtime.  
Yugi had spent his entire morning recording backing vocals that might not even be used, and watching everyone who was more successful than he was get ten times the credit for not even trying.  
Not that Yugi was complaining. He loved his job. Really.  
Yugi sighed, and took a sip of his coffee. White, with a heap of sugar, just like he always had it. It wasn’t originally a very popular choice at the Starbucks where Yugi spent his lunch hour, but since Yugi had been going there, the amount of them being ordered had doubled for some reason.

Out of the corner of his eye, Yugi could see a member of staff from the counter approaching him. Yugi had seen her before, she was a common character. But she had never come to talk to him before.  
All of the guys obviously found her very attractive, by the way they drooled over her. And Yugi could see it too; she was definitely eye-catching.  
She had long, thick blonde hair, and shockingly blue eyes that looked as if they could stare deep into your mind. She wasn’t afraid to show a little cleavage, as her uniform was blatantly too small. A lot of guys had tried to flirt with her at the counter before, and as far as Yugi knew, she had turned down every single one of them.  
So why was someone like that approaching someone like Yugi?  
“Hey hun, how’s it going? My name’s Mai. I must say, you look especially gorgeous tonight.” 

This wasn’t something that Yugi was used to. Yugi was small and delicate, with long blonde hair and red highlights. He had been mistook for a girl on several occasions. That, paired with his incapability to talk to people in general, meant that girls didn’t flirt with him. They cuddled him, called him adorably small, ruffled his hair and then left.  
Why was this happening now? In STARBUCKS?!  
“Um…thank you.”  
“No problem hun.” She winked at him, smiling at him with a lipstick painted grin. “I give credit where credit is due. And you’re pretty damn handsome, handsome.”  
Yugi blushed and turned away. He had never been called handsome before either. He was always the “cute” one.  
Yugi guessed he should introduce himself, although he still hoped that this conversation wouldn’t last too long.  
“Oh. Um, my name’s –“  
“Yugi Motou, right? I’ve heard all about YOU, hun.”  
Yugi stared for a fraction of a second as the gears in his mind worked at rocket speed.  
Mai laughed at Yugi’s confusion.  
“You’re that singer, right? You’re really obscure, but a lot of people in here have heard about you.” She winked. “This is, after all, Starbucks.”  
“Oh.” Yugi really didn’t have anything to say about this. People had…heard of him?  
“Also you were the one who sent that guy to prison.”  
Oh. Right.  
“You’re just the whole package, aren’t you, hun? You’ve probably got a few people who’ve never met you who love you more than Jesus.”  
This actually made Yugi laugh. This was the weirdest conversation he’d ever had, and he was pretty prepared to believe that this was a weird dream. 

“Now, Yugi, I’ve gotta tell you why I’m really here.”  
Of course there was a catch.  
“Don’t worry hun, it’s nothing bad. I just need you to do me a favour.”  
Favours. The one thing he was an expert in.  
“W-what is i-it?” Yugi stuttered.  
“If a guy with long blonde hair comes in here, could you say hi? He’s a big fan. His name’s Marik, and he’s sort of an ass, but he’s a friend. Could you do that for me, Yugi?”  
Yugi nodded slowly at the odd request. Mai grinned, her light pink lipstick shining.  
“Thanks hun.” She flashed him a thumbs up. “Just a warning though, hun. He can be a bit…alarming to some people when they meet him.” Her eyes flickered to Yugi’s for a split second, before she turned towards the door. “Anyway, my break’s over, and I’m guessing yours is too, hun. See ya later.”  
Mai moved towards the counter and started talking to someone. Yugi checked his watch. She was right. Yugi got up and left through the door.

~~~

FriendshipGoals is online. Would you like to chat?

TheLightMagician: Hey Tea. I’m coming to get my stuff. Is that ok?  
FriendshipGoals: Sure =) Do you want to hang for a while?  
TheLightMagician: If you want

Yugi put down his phone, and a small sigh escaped his lips. Did he feel like staying at Tea’s? Could he manage it?  
He felt a drop of rain on his neck. He didn’t have an umbrella. Guess he didn’t really have a choice.

~~~

“Yugi, get in here! You’re soaked!”  
Yugi gave Tea a lop-sided grin through his soaking wet hair. She pulled him inside, and wrapped a towel around his shoulders. She reminded Yugi of a worried mother as she led him into the living room, and put him on the sofa.  
“Why didn’t you bring an umbrella, you silly man?!”  
The look in Tea’s eyes as she violently rubbed at Yugi’s long, wet hair was a mixture of worry and relief.  
“My old one broke. I didn’t get around to buying a new one.” Yugi lied. He had gotten used to telling tiny lies like that, just to make Tea stop worrying.  
Yugi didn’t even own an umbrella.  
“Oh Yugi. I’ll buy you a new one!”  
“No Tea, I’m fine. I’ll buy one on the way home.”  
Tea looked doubtful, but nodded anyway.  
“Your clothes are done. I’ll get you some warm ones from the airing cupboard.”  
Yugi nodded in gratitude. Tea left the room and Yugi breathed in the comfort of the room.

Tea had a nice house, small but homely. She had given each room a different theme. According to her, it was because she ‘felt like the rooms needed a story’. Yugi couldn’t agree more.  
The room where Yugi was currently seated was jungle themed. Trees were painted on the walls, small stuffed animals of lions and monkeys were strewn across the room, and a large mirror with a red parrot on the side, made out of red tinted glass, hung on the middle of the far wall. It felt like an adventure without the danger. Yugi loved it.

Yugi suddenly felt a heavy presence on his lap. He jumped in surprise. Tea’s cat, Sherlock, was sitting on his lap. The kitten was only a few months old, tortoise-shell and very beautiful. Yugi stroked Sherlock’s head carefully, not quite knowing what to do. He wasn’t very experienced when it came to animals. 

Sherlock curled up into a small ball on Yugi’s lap, seemingly not minding how wet the man was. He purred in content when Yugi continued to stoke his head. 

When Tea came back into the room, she saw the small scene going on in front of her. She smiled and sat next to her friend on the sofa, placing the warm clothes on the arm of the sofa.  
“I’m guessing you can’t get up then.”  
Yugi turned to her, content flickering in his purple eyes.  
“I guess not.”  
Tea reached over and grabbed the TV remote from the small table to the side of her. She pressed the button and the TV flickered to life. She flicked through the channels, trying to find something they both liked. Eventually, she reached a show called ‘Ride with Pride’. It was some show about two gay guys called Yusei and Jack, both of which rode motorcycles, constantly competing with each other, both falling in love without the other noticing. It was an interesting concept, and something that Yugi and her watched back when they were younger and questioning their sexuality.  
Yugi still hadn’t improved on that issue.  
“I haven’t seen this show in years.” Yugi said, pushing his still-wet hair to one side.  
“We used to see it all the time when we were teens.”  
“Yeah. Do you know the actors who played Jack and Yusei are actually married now?”  
“Really? That’s super cute!”  
“Yeah.”

Eventually, Sherlock jumped off Yugi’s lap and Yugi changed into the clean, dry clothes Tea had brought down to him. She had insisted on washing his wet clothes though. So, Yugi was stuck at Tea’s for the time being. Not that he was complaining. He didn’t have the right.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Wowza, I'm sorry. I haven't uploaded this shit in ages. Yugi's a little babu, isn't he? Don't worry y'all, Yami's coming soon. 
> 
> Also, Marik has DID in this AU (not that he didn't have that in the show). Normal Marik acts like later-on Marik in the show. Y'know. When he doesn't hate the Pharaoh.
> 
> Sherlock is based on my cat and the amount of Johnlock fics I've been reading.


End file.
